Chapter 20
LEO
“Ihave to stop by the office and then we can go to dinner,” I announce, adjusting my cufflinks.
It’s hard to explain the feeling of joy I experience as Mia balls her fists at her sides.
“Wait, you’re actually taking me to dinner? I thought that was another ploy to get me to come home with you?” she asks, crossing her arms.
I smile and reach across her without saying anything. She doesn’t reach for her gun, but she does tense up.
“Relax, Cara Mia,” I whisper into her ear as I pull the seat belt across her chest. “Safety first,” I say, clicking the buckle in place.
“You didn’t answer my question, dick,” she snaps, trying to hide the fact that her skin is flushed.
“It’s hurtful that I have all these sweet nicknames for you and yours are just so…uninspired.” I say, basking in the feeling of her simmering rage.
“Fine, Stronzo,” she says, the name rolling off her tongue.
I flatten my hands at my sides even though all I want to do is grab her face and smash my lips against hers.
But I can’t because I’m already late—something that could’ve been avoided if she would’ve answered her damn phone.
“You know Italian?” I ask, slanting my lips.
“I know enough,” Mia says. “Enough to know you only use it to get in girls’ pants.”
“I guess it works then.” I wink. Although maybe I’ll have to up my game if I ever want to get in her pants again.
The woman is stubborn.
She snorts, rolling her eyes. “That doesn’t count. I can hate you and still want to—” and then she slams her lips shut.
“Finish your sentence, Emilia,” I command, unbuckling my own seatbelt and sliding close. I don’t stop until I can feel her steady breaths puff against my neck. She tries to look away, but I grip her chin and force her attention back to where it belongs.
Her tongue swipes across her bottom lip, skimming the top of my thumb.
She opens her mouth to speak, but then I hear a knock against the window, and I realize we’ve reached our destination.
“Saved by the bell,” I sigh, dropping my hold and sliding out the door.
When I don’t hear Mia’s door opening, I cross to the other side of the car and open it myself. “You’re coming too. I can’t have you running off on me again.”
She tries to fight me at first, but after five minutes of muttering and colorful language, we end up in my office.
“You’re late,” Georgia points out from behind her desk. When she finally makes eye contact with us, a grin stretches across her lips. “This must be the reason why.”
“Georgia, this is Emilia,” I say, shrugging off my jacket and handing it to her. “Emilia, this is my assistant, Georgia.”
“You can call me Mia,” she says with a friendly smile. One I’ve never been on the receiving end of.
“It’s so nice to meet you, Mia,” Georgia greets, giving her a once-over. “Adrian has been waiting for almost ten minutes. You better whip out the good liquor.”
“Great,” I groan. “Georgia, can you take Mia to one of the shops around the corner and get her something to wear to dinner tonight? I shouldn’t be long.”
Mia’s venomous scowl returns.
“I’m not your Barbie doll,” she spits.
“No, you’re not,” I say, letting my hand glide down her arm. “If you were, I wouldn’t be putting clothes on. I’d be taking them off.”
Georgia clears her throat and steps between us. “Trust me, it’ll be fun. We’ll spend all his money, and you can get whatever you want.”
Mia’s smile returns, but this time it’s more devious. “Actually, I like the sound of that. A lot,” she replies, hooking her arm around Georgia’s. “I think we’re going to get along great.”
I bite back a grin as they disappear through the entrance, and I turn toward my own office doors.
When I open them, Adrian is perched in his usual spot already helping himself to a bottle of my finest scotch.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” I say, heading toward the bar to make myself a drink.
“It’s fine,” he says, swirling the glass in his hand. “I heard you were handling business down at the local precinct. My guy tells me you left with the same detective I risked my neck for you to avoid.”
My hands freeze as I reach for a clean glass. It’s quick. Barely even half a second. But he notices.
Adrian always notices.
“I’m keeping my enemies close,” I say, pouring myself a bigger glass than usual and taking a long sip before turning to face him. “That’s a play from your book.”
He grins, nodding his head. It’s typically a warm gesture, but something is different tonight.
“I don’t consider law enforcement my enemy,” he explains. “They’re more like a necessary evil that I’d rather have in my back pocket just in case.”
I spot my chair in my peripheral, but I don’t entertain the idea of sitting down. “And I’m doing the same thing. I figured a sizable donation wouldn’t hurt. You taught me that everyone has a price; it’s just about guessing the right number.”
He offers a polite chuckle at that. “I taught you a lot of things.”
He’s right. Adrian was my in with Enzo. He’s the reason my plan has any legs to begin with. He taught me how to exist in their world and ours—carefully navigating conversations exactly like this one.
But most importantly, he taught me how to read people before they even open their mouths.
Which is exactly why I’m treading lightly.
“Exactly,” I say, smacking my lips together because I know he hates it. But today he doesn’t flinch. “So, instead of baiting me, why don’t you ask me what you really want to know?”
This time he fully smiles. “Why do I need to ask when I already know who she is?”
I set my glass down and carelessly drape my hands in my pockets. Of course he does. “Well then, please enlighten me.”
Adrian’s smile fades, sharpening at the edges. “She’s a liability, and Enzo won’t be thrilled when he finds out your new girl works for the NYPD.”
Relief hits me. He doesn’t know her real identity.
But it’s short-lived as my fingernails dig into my skin, fighting the need to punch something or someone.
“Tell him,” I say, raising my brows. “I am just using her for intel on the Vince Russo case. But now that it’s been transferred, I’m using her for other things that are more involved.”
I’m not entirely lying, but I can’t tell if I’m convincing based on his stone-like stature.
“According to my intel, Enzo is equally as concerned with you getting distracted, so maybe it’s best to cut her loose before things get too complicated,” he says with a flick of his wrist. “We need to focus on the vote.”
I dig my heels into the carpet, forcing every bone in my body to stay in place. I want to grab the back of his head and slam it into the wall until nothing is left but those flimsy hair plugs that aren’t fooling anyone.
But I swallow my anger and push everything away in one fell swoop.
“I’ll decide when I’m done with her,” I reply, leaning against the front of my desk and pressing my nails hard into the dense mahogany. “Enough about my sexual exploits. Who do we still need to flip?”
The rest of the meeting is quick. Mainly filled with shop talk and logistics. But every name goes in one ear and out the other because I have no intentions of doing any more of Enzo’s dirty work.
I fully intend to tank the vote, but first I have an empire to destroy.
“You’re late,” I say, hearing the front door creak open. I asked Georgia to escort Mia back to my place instead of the office. After my heated exchange with Adrian, I didn’t want to run the risk of her running into him.
Two pairs of heels click against the wood flooring as I adjust my tie in the entryway mirror. “I maintain your schedule. We’re right on time,” Georgia snipes from behind me.
I turn around to reply, but then everything around me blurs into a soft haze.
Mia looks at me plainly, like she’s not the most breathtaking creature I’ve ever seen.
She’s wearing a dark plum dress that falls just below her knees and hugs the curves of her hips perfectly. The neckline of the dress plunges just enough for me to see the tops of her breasts that look like they were pushed up to punish me.
She looks gorgeous in her everyday uniform of jeans and a leather jacket, but tonight she’s irresistible.
“Thank you, Georgia. You can leave now.”
She rolls her eyes, flipping some of her hair over her shoulder. “Whatever. Good luck, Mia. You’re going to need it. You have my number if you need anything.”
Mia flashes her a bright smile as she sways in her high heels.
When I hear the door click, I move across the room in three long strides. Her smile disappears when she turns to me.
“You look incredible.”
“I know.” She smiles, popping her hip.
My eyes sink lower, drinking her in, slow and deliberate.
“Careful,” I murmur, stepping in closer and letting one finger trail down her side. “I’m trying very hard to be a gentleman right now.”
She snorts, quirking her brow. “That’s funny. I’ve yet to experience that side of you.”
“Excellent point, Cara Mia.”
A slow breath slips between my lips as I take another step—this time pressing her up against one of the tall tables sitting in my entryway.
The tabletop hits just below her butt, causing her to stumble back.
And then she reaches out and grabs the lapels of my jacket, trying to steady herself.
I take that as an opportunity to lean in closer.
Her cheeks flush and her chest heaves up and down, drawing my attention to her exposed neckline. I lean down and place a soft kiss on the top of her cleavage as I press myself against the inside of her thigh.
Mia sucks in a sharp breath. “I hate myself a little more every time I let you touch me.”
I let out a deep chuckle and begrudgingly raise my head. “You can stop me anytime.”
She swallows hard, her throat bobbing up and down. “That’s the problem,” she says, pausing as if the next part is difficult for her to get out. “I don’t want to.”
Her answer causes something dark to rattle in my chest.
My thumb grazes the side of her cheek, and she leans into the movement with her eyes closed.
“Do you remember what I said about offering yourself up to me again?”
“You’d ruin me, build me back up and then have fun tearing me down again,” she replies, sticking closely to the promise I made in her apartment that night.
I drag my thumb down the rest of her face and glide it across her bottom lip. “Very good. Now before I fuck you against this table, I need to know you’re ready. Because once we cross that line, there’s no going back. No more pushing me away and pretending you don’t want this as badly as I do.”
She holds my stare, her breath uneven, causing her entire body to tremble. “Fine, but I need you to know that I only want one thing from you. Once I solve my brother’s murder and you take down Enzo, we’re done. No strings. You can claim you’re going to ruin me, but I don’t break easily.”
Mia lifts her chin proudly, like she means every word that just came out of her mouth. But by the way her fingers still clutch my jacket tightly, I have a feeling she’s not as convinced as she seems.
At some point, she’ll realize this thing between us is more than a mere fixation. Every time I look at her, I find myself fighting off a possessive energy that I’ve never felt so intensely before.
I need to be near her.
I need to touch her.
I need her.
But if she needs to believe that this is just sex for this to work, then so be it. “Fine. Until then, you’re mine.”
Her eyes flicker to my lips as she nods, but that’s not good enough. “I want to hear you say it,” I growl.
Mia narrows her eyes. “You’re joking.”
My hand slides from her lips to her neck, gripping it tight enough to apply pressure to the tender cartilage lining her throat. Pure lust glitters behind her scowl.
“You’ll never own me, Leo,” she says, her voice dripping in contempt.
I grip her hip with my free hand and pull her to the edge of the table so I can press my hard length into her dampening panties.
“I don’t need to own you for you to be mine. Now stop being stubborn and say the damn words, Emilia. We’re already late.”
Her eyes narrow even more, forming vindictive slits. If she wants to play, we can play.
My hand slides from her hips, all the way down to the hem of her dress and back up the inside of her thigh. I apply pressure as I go, letting her know exactly where I intend to land.
And then I cup her pussy with my hand, loving the way she squirms and bites her lip helplessly. Once she adjusts to the sudden movement, she presses herself against me, desperate for friction. Her soaking wet panties cling to my hands.
“Fuck, Leo,” Mia says, closing her eyes as she grinds against my hand.
My smile deepens as I lean in close, trailing wet kisses up the side of her neck until my lips are right next to her ear. “Say it, and I’ll give you what you want. What we both want.”
A frustrated and shaky sigh leaks from between her lips. Quickly losing patience, I bite the shell of her ear, and she moans in pleasure.
“Fine,” I say lowly, pulling my hand away. “Let’s get going then.”
Before I can pull away, a hand reaches out and grips my wrist firmly.
“Wait,” she says, her eyes full of longing. The hard exterior she works so hard on melts away, and underneath is a woman who doesn’t want my protection or my pity.
She just wants to be taken care of.
“I’m yours.”